Title 49—Transportation--Volume 1
PART 374—PASSENGER CARRIER REGULATIONS
§ 374.1   Applicability.
This part applies to motor carriers subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B (secs. 13101-14916).
§ 374.101   Discrimination prohibited.
No motor carrier of passengers subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B shall operate a motor vehicle in interstate or foreign commerce on which the seating of passengers is based upon race, color, creed, or national origin.
§ 374.103   Notice to be printed on tickets.
Every motor carrier of passengers subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B shall cause to be printed on every ticket sold by it for transportation on any vehicle operated in interstate or foreign commerce a plainly legible notice as follows: “Seating aboard vehicles operated in interstate or foreign commerce is without regard to race, color, creed, or national origin.”
The following interpretation of the provisions of § 374.103 (formerly § 1055.2) appears at 27 FR 230, Jan. 9, 1962:
The words, “Seating aboard vehicles operated in interstate or foreign commerce is without regard to race, color, creed, or national origin”, should appear on the face of every ticket coming within the purview of the section. If the ticket is in parts or consists of additional elements, such as coupons, identification stubs, or checks, it shall be sufficient for the purposes of § 374.103 that the notice appear only once on the ticket and be placed on the face of that portion of the ticket which is held by the passenger.
§ 374.105   Discrimination in terminal facilities.
No motor carrier of passengers subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B shall in the operation of vehicles in interstate or foreign commerce provide, maintain arrangements for, utilize, make available, adhere to any understanding for the availability of, or follow any practice which includes the availability of, any terminal facilities which are so operated, arranged, or maintained as to involve any separation of any portion thereof, or in the use thereof on the basis of race, color, creed, or national origin.
§ 374.107   Notice to be posted at terminal facilities.
No motor carrier of passengers subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B shall in the operation of vehicles in interstate or foreign commerce utilize any terminal facility in which there is not conspicuously displayed and maintained so as to be readily visible to the public a plainly legible sign or placard containing the full text of these regulations. Such sign or placard shall be captioned: “Public Notice: Regulations Applicable to Vehicles and Terminal Facilities of Interstate Motor Carriers of Passengers, by order of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation.”
§ 374.109   Carriers not relieved of existing obligations.
Nothing in this regulation shall be construed to relieve any interstate motor carrier of passengers subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B of any of its obligations under 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B or its certificate(s) of public convenience and necessity.
§ 374.111   Reports of interference with regulations.
Every motor carrier of passengers subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B operating vehicles in interstate or foreign commerce shall report to the Secretary, within fifteen (15) days of its occurrence, any interference by any person, municipality, county, parish, State, or body politic with its observance of the requirements of these regulations in this part. Such report shall include a statement of the action that such carrier may have taken to eliminate any such interference.
§ 374.113   Definitions.
For the purpose of these regulations the following terms and phrases are defined:
(a) Terminal facilities. As used in these regulations the term “terminal facilities” means all facilities, including waiting room, rest room, eating, drinking, and ticket sales facilities which a motor carrier makes available to passengers of a motor vehicle operated in interstate or foreign commerce as a regular part of their transportation.
(b) Separation. As used in § 374.105, the term “separation” includes, among other things, the display of any sign indicating that any portion of the terminal facilities are separated, allocated, restricted, provided, available, used, or otherwise distinguished on the basis of race, color, creed, or national origin.
§ 374.201   Prohibition against smoking on interstate passenger-carrying motor vehicles.
(a) All motor carriers of passengers subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B, shall prohibit smoking (including the carrying of lit cigars, cigarettes, and pipes) on vehicles transporting passengers in scheduled or special service in interstate commerce.
(b) Each carrier shall take such action as is necessary to ensure that smoking by passengers, drivers, and other employees is not permitted in violation of this section. This shall include making appropriate announcements to passengers, the posting of the international no-smoking symbol, and the posting of signs in all vehicles transporting passengers in letters in sharp color contrast to the background, and of such size, shape, and color as to be readily legible. Such signs and symbols shall be kept and maintained in such a manner as to remain legible and shall indicate that smoking is prohibited by Federal regulation.
(c) The provisions of paragraph (a) of this section shall not apply to charter operations as defined in § 374.503 of this part.
§ 374.301   Applicability.
These rules govern only motor passenger carriers conducting regular-route operations.
§ 374.303   Definitions.
(a) Carrier means a motor passenger carrier.
(b) Bus means a passenger-carrying vehicle, regardless of design or seating capacity, used in a carrier's authorized operations.
(c) Facility means any structure provided by or for a carrier at or near which buses pick up or discharge passengers.
(d) Terminal means a facility operated or used by a carrier chiefly to furnish passengers transportation services and accommodations.
(e) Station means a facility, other than a terminal, operated by or for a carrier to accommodate passengers.
(f) Service means passenger transportation by bus over regular routes.
(g) Commuter service, means passenger transportation wholly between points not more than 100 airline miles apart and not involving through-bus, connecting, or interline services to or from points beyond 100 airline miles. The usual characteristics of commuter service include reduced fare, multiple-ride, and commutation tickets, and peak morning and evening operations.
(h) Baggage means property a passenger takes with him for his personal use or convenience.
(i) Restroom means a room in a bus or terminal equipped with a toilet, washbowl, soap or a reasonable alternative, mirror, wastebasket, and toilet paper.
§ 374.305   Ticketing and information.
(a) Information service. (1) During business hours at each terminal or station, information shall be provided as to schedules, tickets, fares, baggage, and other carrier services.
(2) Carrier agents and personnel who sell or offer to sell tickets, or who provide information concerning tickets and carrier services, shall be competent and adequately informed.
(b) Telephone information service. Every facility where tickets are sold shall provide telephonic information to the traveling public, including current bus schedules and fare information, when open for ticket sales.
(c) Schedules. Printed, regular-route schedules shall be provided to the traveling public at all facilities where tickets for such services are sold. Each schedule shall show the points along the carrier's route(s) where facilities are located or where the bus trips originate or terminate, and each schedule shall indicate the arrival or departure time for each such point.
(d) Ticket refunds. Each carrier shall refund unused tickets upon request, consistent with its governing tariff, at each place where tickets are sold, within 30 days after the request.
(e) Announcements. No scheduled bus (except in commuter service) shall depart from a terminal or station until a public announcement of the departure and boarding point has been given. The announcement shall be given at least 5 minutes before the initial departure and before departures from points where the bus is scheduled to stop for more than 5 minutes.
§ 374.307   Baggage service.
(a) Checking procedures. (1) Carriers shall issue receipts, which may be in the form of preprinted tickets, for all checked services baggage.
(2)(i) If baggage checking service is not provided at the side of the bus, all baggage checked at a baggage checking counter at least 30 minutes but not more than 1 hour before departure shall be transported on the same schedule as the ticketed passenger.
(ii) If baggage checking service is provided at the side of the bus, passengers checking baggage at the baggage checking counter less than 30 minutes before the scheduled departure shall be notified that their baggage may not travel on the same schedule. Such baggage must then be placed on the next available bus to its destination. All baggage checked at the side of the bus during boarding, or at alternative locations provided for such purpose, shall be transported on the same schedule as the ticketed passenger.
(b) Baggage security. All checked baggage shall be placed in a secure or attended area prohibited to the public. Baggage being readied for loading shall not be left unattended.
(c) Baggage liability. (1) No carrier may totally exempt its liability for articles offered as checked baggage, unless those articles have been exempted by the Secretary. (Other liability is subject to subpart D of this part). A notice listing exempted articles shall be prominently posted at every location where baggage is accepted for checking.
(2) Carriers may refuse to accept as checked baggage and, if unknowingly accepted, may disclaim liability for loss or damage to the following articles:
(i) Articles whose transportation as checked baggage is prohibited by law or regulation;
(ii) Fragile or perishable articles, articles whose dimensions exceed the size limitations in the carrier's tariff, receptacles with articles attached or protruding, guns, and materials that have a disagreeable odor;
(iii) Money; and
(iv) Those other articles that the Secretary exempts upon petition by the carrier.
(3) Carriers need not offer excess value coverage on articles of extraordinary value (including, but not limited to, negotiable instruments, papers, manuscripts, irreplaceable publications, documents, jewelry, and watches).
(d) Express shipments. Passengers and their baggage always take precedence over express shipments.
(e) Baggage at destination. All checked baggage shall be made available to the passenger within a reasonable time, not to exceed 30 minutes, after arrival at the passenger's destination. If not, the carrier shall deliver the baggage to the passenger's local address at the carrier's expense.
(f) Lost or delayed baggage. (1) Checked baggage that cannot be located within 1 hour after the arrival of the bus upon which it was supposed to be transported shall be designated as lost. The carrier shall notify the passenger at that time and furnish him with an appropriate tracing form.
(2) Every carrier shall make available at each ticket window and baggage counter a single form suitable both for tracing and for filing claims for lost or misplaced baggage. The form shall be prepared in duplicate and signed by the passenger and carrier representative. The carrier or its agent shall receive the signed original, with any necessary documentation and additional information, and the claim check, for which a receipt shall be given. The passenger shall retain the duplicate copy.
(3) The carrier shall make immediate and diligent efforts to recover lost baggage.
(4) A passenger may fill out a tracing form for lost unchecked baggage. The carrier shall forward recovered unchecked baggage to the terminal or station nearest the address shown on the tracing form and shall notify the passenger that the baggage will be held on a will-call basis.
(g) Settlement of claims. Notwithstanding 49 CFR 370.9, if lost checked baggage cannot be located within 15 days, the carrier shall immediately process the matter as a claim. The date on which the carrier or its agent received the tracing form shall be considered the first day of a 60-day period in which a claim must be resolved by a firm offer of settlement or by a written explanation of denial of the claim.
§ 374.309   Terminal facilities.
(a) Passenger security. All terminals and stations must provide adequate security for passengers and their attendants and be regularly patrolled.
(b) Outside facilities. At terminals and stations that are closed when buses are scheduled to arrive or depart, there shall be available, to the extent possible, a public telephone, outside lighting, posted schedule information, overhead shelter, information on local accommodations, and telephone numbers for local taxi service and police.
(c) Maintenance. Terminals shall be clean.
§ 374.311   Service responsibility.
(a) Schedules. Carriers shall establish schedules that can be reasonably met, including connections at junction points, to serve adequately all points.
(b) Continuity of service. No carrier shall change an existing regular-route schedule without first displaying conspicuously a notice in each facility and on each bus affected. Such notice shall be displayed for a reasonable time before it becomes effective and shall contain the carrier's name, a description of the proposed schedule change, the effective date thereof, the reasons for the change, the availability of alternate service, and the name and address of the carrier representative passengers may contact.
(c) Trip interruptions. A carrier shall mitigate, to the extent possible, any passenger inconvenience it causes by disrupting travel plans.
(d) Seating and reservations. A carrier shall provide sufficient buses to meet passengers' normal travel demands, including ordinary weekend and usual seasonal or holiday demand. Passengers (except commuters) shall be guaranteed, to the extent possible, passage and seating.
(e) Inspection of rest stops. Each carrier shall inspect periodically all rest stops it uses to ensure that they are clean.
§ 374.313   Equipment.
(a) Temperature control. A carrier shall maintain a reasonable temperature on each bus (except in commuter service).
(b) Restrooms. Each bus (except in commuter service) seating more than 14 passengers (not including the driver) shall have a clean, regularly maintained restroom, free of offensive odor. A bus may be operated without a restroom if it makes reasonable rest stops.
(c) Bus servicing. Each bus shall be kept clean, with all required items in good working order.
§ 374.315   Transportation of passengers with disabilities.
Service provided by a carrier to passengers with disabilities is governed by the provisions of 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq., and regulations promulgated thereunder by the Secretary of Transportation (49 CFR parts 27, 37, and 38) and the Attorney General (28 CFR part 36), incorporating the guidelines established by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (36 CFR part 1191).
§ 374.317   Identification—bus and driver.
Each bus and driver providing service shall be identified in a manner visible to passengers. The driver may be identified by name or company number.
§ 374.319   Relief from provisions.
(a) Petitions. Where compliance with any rule would impose an undue burden on a carrier, it may petition the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration either to treat it as though it were conducting a commuter service or to waive the rule. The request for relief must be justified by appropriate verified statements.
(b) Notice to the public. The carrier shall display conspicuously, for at least 30 days, in each facility and on each bus affected, a notice of the filing of any petition. The notice shall contain the carrier's name and address, a concise description of and reasons for the relief sought, and a statement that any interested person may file written comments with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (with one copy mailed to the carrier) on or before a specific date that is at least 30 days later than the date the notice is posted.
§ 374.401   Minimum permissible limitations for baggage liability.
Motor carriers of passengers and baggage subject to 49 U.S.C. 13501 may not publish tariff provisions limiting their liability for loss or damage to baggage checked by a passenger transported in regular route or special operations unless:
(a) The amount for which liability is limited is $250 or greater per adult fare; and
(b) The provisions permit the passenger, for an additional charge, to declare a value in excess of the limited amount, and allow the passenger to recover the increased amount (but not higher than the actual value) in event of loss or damage. The carriers may publish a maximum value for which they will be liable, but that maximum value may not be less than $1,000. Appropriate identification must be attached securely by the passenger to each item of baggage checked, indicating in a clear and legible manner the name and address to which the baggage should be forwarded if lost and subsequently recovered. Identification tags shall be made immediately available by the carriers to passengers upon request.
(c) Carriers need not offer excess value coverage on articles listed in § 374.307(c)(3).
§ 374.403   Notice of passenger's ability to declare excess value on baggage.
(a) All motor carriers of passengers and baggage subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B, which provide in their tariffs for the declaration of baggage in excess of a free baggage allowance limitation, shall provide clear and adequate notice to the public of the opportunity to declare such excess value on baggage.
(b) The notice referred to in paragraph (a) of this section shall be in large and clear print, and shall state as follows:
This motor carrier is not liable for loss or damage to properly identified baggage in an amount exceeding $____. If a passenger desires additional coverage for the value of his baggage he may, upon checking his baggage, declare that his baggage has a value in excess of the above limitation and pay a charge as follows:
Under FMCSA regulations, all baggage must be properly identified. Luggage tags should indicate clearly the name and address to which lost baggage should be forwarded. Free luggage tags are available at all ticket windows and baggage counters.
(c) The notice referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section shall be (1) placed in a position near the ticket seller, sufficiently conspicuous to apprise the public of its provisions, (2) placed on a form to be attached to each ticket issued (and the ticket seller shall, where possible, provide oral notice to each ticket purchaser to read the form attached to the ticket), (3) placed in a position at or near any location where baggage may be checked, sufficiently conspicuous to apprise each passenger checking baggage of its provisions, and (4) placed in a position at each boarding point or waiting area used by the carrier at facilities maintained by the carrier or its agents, sufficiently conspicuous to apprise each boarding passenger of the provisions of the said notice.
§ 374.405   Baggage excess value declaration procedures.
All motor carriers of passengers and baggage subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B, which provide in their tariffs for the declaration of baggage value in excess of a free baggage allowance limitation, shall provide for the declaration of excess value on baggage at any time or place where provision is made for baggage checking, including (a) at a baggage checking counter until 15 minutes before scheduled boarding time, and (b) at the side of the bus or at a baggage checking counter in reasonable proximity to the boarding area during boarding at a terminal or any authorized service point.
§ 374.501   Applicability.
The regulations in this part apply to incidental charter rights authorized under 49 U.S.C. 13506. These regulations do not apply to interpreting authority contained in a certificate to transport passengers in special and/or charter operations.
§ 374.503   Authority.
Motor carriers transporting passengers, in interstate or foreign commerce, over regular routes authorized in a certificate issued as a result of an application filed before January 2, 1967, may transport special or chartered parties, in interstate or foreign commerce, between any points and places in the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii). The term “special or chartered party” means a group of passengers who, with a common purpose and under a single contract, and at a fixed charge for the vehicle in accordance with the carrier's tariff, have acquired the exclusive use of a passenger-carrying motor vehicle to travel together as a group to a specified destination or for a particular itinerary.
§ 374.505   Exceptions.
(a) Incidental charter rights do not authorize the transportation of passengers to whom the carrier has sold individual tickets or with whom the carrier has made separate and individual transportation arrangements.
(b) Service provided under incidental charter rights may not be operated between the same points or over the same route so frequently as to constitute a regular-route service.
(c) Passenger transportation within the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit District (as defined in the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Regulation Compact, Pub. L. No. 86-794, 74 Stat. 1031 (1960), as amended by Pub. L. No. 87-767, 76 Stat. (1962) is not authorized by these regulations, but is subject to the jurisdiction and regulations of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission.
(d) A private or public recipient of governmental assistance (within the meaning of 49 U.S.C. 13902(b)(8)) may provide service under incidental charter rights only for special or chartered parties originating in the area in which the private or public recipient provides regularly scheduled mass transportation services under the specific qualifying certificate that confers its incidental charter rights.